Google is reportedly working on a "Nexus TV" Android device which can be used for video streaming and playing games.
It was first reported by The Information who got the details from a Google employee who wished to be kept anonymous due to the confidentiality. The source said that the tech giant is eager to create an Android-running "Nexus TV" that stream YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu videos, and lets users play compatible video games. The reported device is planned for release by the first half of 2014.
In July, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google was indeed working on another living-room device. Andy Rubin, who was a Google executive back then, showed a prototype of the set-top box device in a closed-door Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. According the newspaper's sources, the device is controllable by an Android smartphone and has a Kinect-like motion sensor. However, the company declined to comment about it.
The recent report agrees with the earlier report. However, it didn't mention anything about the motion sensor.
What it did introduced is that the upcoming device has a purpose-built touchpad remote that could be included together with a set-top box. And though it will cater video streaming, it will not support live broadcast.
Google has worked on a number of products in an effort to acquire foothold in the entertainment room. These include the unsuccessful Google TV operating system that the company built into smart TVs and other devices, the costly media streaming entertainment device Nexus Q which never made it to stores after consumer feedback that its features are not worth the $299 price tag, and the $35 digital media player Chromecast which can play video/audio content on HDTV by streaming it via Wi-Fi.
The launch of the Nexus TV device could benefit the developers big time as it could offer developers a way to optimize their apps for the big screen without the need to deal with any customizations.
